May 6, 2021

The unemployment rate in the Sioux Falls area dipped slightly from February to March.

The jobless rate fell to 3 percent from 3.2 percent, according to statistics from the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. One year ago, the rate was 3.1 percent. While businesses began to lay off workers in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the jobless numbers weren’t reflected until the April report, which set a record rate of 10.5 percent.

March’s unemployment rate represents 4,800 people in the metro area who are looking for work.

From February to March, nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls area rose by 1,600 people to 156,200. The largest percentage increase was leisure and hospitality at 5.6 percent, a gain of 700 workers. Categories that include construction and professional/business services saw gains of more than 2 percent.

Statewide, the number of nonfarm wage and salaried workers increased by 3,400 workers in March, a rise of less than 1 percent. The total of 427,600 workers remains below the pre-pandemic total of 432,400 in March 2020.

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 2.9 percent in March, down from 3 percent in February and unchanged from a year ago. That represents 13,600 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. The rate reached a record high of 9.2 percent in April 2020.

The national unemployment rate in March was 6 percent, compared with 4.4 percent a year ago. It was 6.2 percent in February.